David Karofsky
David '"'Dave"' Karofsky' is a student at William McKinley High School who, along with his friend Azimio, used to constantly bully the kids in Glee Club, especially Kurt Hummel. In the season two episode Never Been Kissed, it is revealed that he is gay when he kisses Kurt. As of Born This Way, he has begun his slow journey towards self-acceptance and redeemed himself as the school's Number One bully by forming the Bullywhips with Santana, a guardian angel sort of club to monitor the hall and stop bullying in its tracks. As means to hide their sexuality and to win prom king and queen, Dave and Santana agreed to be each other's beards, but it is unknown if they ended their alliance after Santana did not win prom queen. Dave is portrayed by Max Adler. Biography Dave Karofsky is an ex-hockey player at William McKinley High School. He currently plays right guard on the football team. He likes to bully people who are beneath him socially, like the members of New Directions, or the people the jocks consider to be "uncool". He seems to be good friends with Azimio Adams, as the two usually bully together. Dave is currently struggling with his deeply closeted homosexuality causing him to lash out at people. Season One Dave Karofsky first appears in the episode'' ''Mash-Up, splashing Finn and Quinn with a grape slushie. He has a grudge against Finn because he made fun of his pubes in the fifth grade. He takes Finn's recent fall from popularity to enact his vengeance. Dave also slushies Puck while he is walking with Rachel. In Mattress, Dave and Azimio corner Finn in the locker room and write on his face as "practice" for doing it to his to glee club yearbook photo later. They then tease Finn about having a big forehead. Dave is later seen defacing the glee yearbook page, surrounded by other laughing jocks. In Hell-O, Dave and Azimio are briefly seen slushing Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes. In Bad Reputation, he is seen serenading Sue Sylvester by quoting lyrics from Physical. In Theatricality, Dave and Azimio continue to make fun of the Glee club. He pushes Tina into a locker, and Kurt yells at him for it. He berates them for dressing in Lady Gaga costumes, roughing them up again later when they have not changed their clothing. The duo attempt to beat up Kurt once more in the end of the episode, but Finn (wearing a Lady Gaga costume of his own) stops them, backed up by the rest of the glee club. Dave says he and Azimio will "bring some friends" the next time. Season Two In Audition, he is seen in the background, while Jacob interviews Finn and Rachel about her "expected return to the Shire". Rachel gives both Dave and Azimio $100 to slushie herself, Kurt, and Mercedes in front of Sunshine's locker, hoping she'll be scared out of auditioning (this is not seen onscreen). However, after consulting Kurt and Mercedes, makes a change of plans. She directs Sunshine to a fake audition at a crackhouse instead. In Britney/Brittany, he and Azimio rip Finn's varsity jacket into half, since he is no longer on the football team. Finn was about to fight them, but Artie comes in between them. Neither he or Azimio are comfortable with the thought of hurting a kid in a wheelchair, so they leave. Later in the episode, Dave and Azimio comment on Rachel's schoolgirl outfit. While Azimio makes catcalls, Dave asks Finn why all the gay dudes get the hot chicks. Dave next appears in Duets, where he, along with Azimio, slushies Sam Evans for being the newest member of the glee club. In The Rocky Horror Glee Show, Dave and Azimio make fun of Finn for walking down the hallway in his boxers. In Never Been Kissed, Dave is shown going out of his way to bully Kurt at every opportunity. This results in Kurt falling further into a depressive state, until his new friendship with Blaine leads him to confront Dave. After Dave smacks Kurt's phone out of his hand and pushes him into a locker, Kurt follows him into the locker room. He angrily demands to know why Dave won't stop attacking him. When Kurt begins to insult him, Dave becoming more and more upset, holds his fist up threateningly and orders for Kurt to not push him. When Kurt continues his tirade, Dave suddenly forces a kiss on him. He goes back in for a second one, but is shoved away by an obviously shocked and frightened Kurt. Dave punches a locker in frustration and flees the room near tears. Kurt brings Blaine to confront him in the stairwell the next day, and nearly publicly outs Dave, who denies everything and attempts to leave. When Blaine tries to tell him he's not alone, Dave turns around and angrily forces him against the wall. Kurt easily pushes him off, and Dave runs away, looking scared. He later continues pushing Kurt into the lockers, showing he is unwilling to acknowledge what happened. In The Substitute, Kurt is sitting with Mercedes at lunch as he tries to set her up on a date reassuring her that "love is just around the corner". Dave suddenly appears and winks at Kurt, taunting him one again. Later, he confronts Kurt at his locker and demands to know whether or not he's told anyone else about the locker room kiss, phrasing it as though it was Kurt who kissed him. Kurt tells Dave that he's the one who kissed him and he hasn't told. Dave threatens to kill him if he does. In Furt, Dave's harassment has reached the point where even his presence obviously terrifies Kurt. He approaches Kurt at his locker and ignores him when he tells Dave he doesn't want him near him. Dave pokes him in the chest, trails it down and then steals Kurt's wedding topper. The Glee girls ask their boyfriends to help Kurt, so Artie and Mike confront Dave in the locker room. They demand he leave Kurt alone, but Dave pushes Mike who falls onto Artie, accidentally hurting both of them. This causes Sam to run in and attack Dave, and the fight escalates between the two of them until Coach Beiste steps in. Sam is left with a black eye as a result of the fight. Later, while Kurt is giving Finn and Burt dancing lessons, Dave makes a limp wristed gesture at Kurt and Finn. Kurt comes clean about the death threat when prompted, angering Burt. He rushes after Dave and throws him up against the wall. The situation causes Sue to call Dave's dad to the school. Though Dave tries to deny everything, Mr. Karofsky notes that Dave has been acting differently and takes Kurt's side. Sue expels Karofsky. When Sue asks to know why Dave threatened to kill him, Kurt maintains Dave's secret stating that Dave threatened to kill him if he told about the bullying itself. Though relieved he has not been outed, Dave shakes his head in disappointment at Kurt as he leaves the office. Sue later reveals that the school board overrode her expulsion of Dave due to a lack of physical evidence or witnesses and that he'll be returning the next day. She resigns in protest, allowing Figgins to return as principal, and says she'll be a set of eyes and ears for Kurt in the hallway regarding Dave. However, because Dave is returning, Kurt and his parents agree that the safest thing for him is to transfer to Dalton Academy. In Special Education, Dave and Azimio heckle Puck during his Glee Club pitch. He looks nervous when Puck brings up Kurt, glancing at Azimio. After Puck finishes, he and Azimio soundly reject the idea. They incite the football team into roughing him up, though they are not the ones who lock him in a Porta-John. In A Very Glee Christmas, he is seen throwing a slushie into the faces of Mike, Tina, and Mercedes. In The Sue Sylvester Shuffle, Dave is first seen on the field during a football game. He throws the game after Finn makes a comment about how it's funny that Dave is always calling people gay but never seems to have a girlfriend. In the locker room, a fight breaks out between the Glee guys and the players. Dave stubbornly announces that he refuses to block for Finn due to his being in the Glee Club. After a brutal group slushie attack on Artie, Dave and the jocks are sent to the choir room where they and the Glee kids are shocked and angered by Mr. Schue's and Coach Beiste's announcement that the jocks are to be in Glee Club for an entire week, no exceptions. After a few rehearsals, Dave seems a little less intimidated by the thought of being a Glee Club loser. When Mr. Schuester compliments him on his performance during rehearsals, Dave looks moved and becomes noticeably more confident when he politely asks Finn if they should do a warmup number before the halftime show. After a well-received performance of She's Not There by the jocks, they walk through the halls of McKinley with pride. They are stopped in their tracks by the Hockey Team. One of them (Scott Cooper) says that Glee Club turned Dave gay—which he flinches at, still not wanting to admit it—followed by a group slushie. Dave's confidence instantly goes down the drain. He insists on quitting Glee Club and reluctantly is made to quit football along with the rest of the team (that weren't original Glee Clubbers). At half-time, Puck insists the team join in on the Thriller/Heads Will Roll number. They all agree except Dave who stays behind in the locker room in turmoil. During the performance, Dave walks by, but then stops to watch. He notices the crowd is loving the show and not booing it as he thought they would, and the Glee Club is having a blast. He smiles, puts on his zombified football shirt and happily joins in. After the show, the football team play the other half of the game and win.Some day after the game, Finn greets Dave at his locker, and the two actually seem to get along. When Finn asks him to join in on a trip to Dalton Academy to apologize to Kurt before other Glee Club members would allow him to join Glee Club permanently, Dave shoots him down refusing to ruin his reputation and not willing to face Kurt as doing so would mean admitting his true sexuality. In A Night of Neglect, he slushies Santana only to sarcastically apologize. Later, he begins to taunt Kurt and Blaine who have come to attend the benefit concert. He seeks them out and mentions about how he was 'pumping iron in the gym,' and one of the guys told him that Kurt and Blaine were 'spreading their fairy-dust'. This causes Blaine to say, "You can live whatever lie you want, but don't pretend like the three of us don't know what's really ''going on here." That is when you can see Santana in the background listening to the conversation (foreshadowing that she is the next one to discover the secret of Dave's sexuality). After Dave calls Blaine "buck-boy", meaning male prostitute, Blaine shoves him, and Dave shoves back almost starting a fight when Santana intervenes and threatens him. Dave leaves immediately. In Born This Way, Santana, in order to bring Kurt back to the school and make herself favorable to win Prom Queen, blackmails Dave after finding out his sexuality by telling him that if he won't be her gay beard and prom date, she would reveal his secret to the school. Seeing as he has no other choice, he accepts. With the blessings of Principal Figgins, he and Santana start an anti-bullying group called the Bullywhips. He makes an apology to the members of New Directions for his past actions against them, especially to Kurt, and notes that he will have to earn their trust. The Bullywhips has been successful in creating a safer environment in the school and according the Principal Figgins, since the inception of the club there has been no bullying cases reported. With his dad and Principal Figgins, Dave talks to Kurt and Burt. Burt still holds a grudge against him for threatening the life of his son; however, Kurt, although still skeptical, wishes to talk to Dave alone and sends the adults out of the room. Kurt asks him what his real reason is for starting the antibullying group, and Dave claims he just wants to make everything right. Kurt reminds him that he remembers the kiss and hasn't told anybody anything. When Dave asks him why he hasn't told anyone about the kiss, Kurt replies he doesn't believe in outing people but still accepts them for who they are, though he does add that Dave owes him the truth for his silence on the matter. Dave confesses that it's part of Santana's plan to become prom queen and people might vote for them if Kurt comes back. Kurt then stresses to Dave that even if he is unable to come out to the world he needs to be educated, and he tells Dave to help him co-chair a local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). In Prom Queen, Dave and Santana go to prom together. Kurt's date to the Prom is Blaine. In order to get more votes Santana promises Kurt that the Bullywhips will escort him to classes so he won't get bullied. When Dave brings Kurt to his class, Kurt tells him that he thinks people don't care if you're gay or straight any more, to which Dave disagrees. Kurt tells him that he sees how miserable he is, and he doesn't hate him anymore because he only sees the pain Dave is in. He also tells him that he may not have to come out the next day but maybe soon the time can arise where he can. Dave suddenly starts to cry and tearfully tells Kurt how sorry he is. Kurt reassures Dave that he knows. When someone passes by, Dave quickly gets his act together, thanks Kurt, and walks away reminding Kurt to "wait for him" so he can walk him to lunch. Later that evening, Kurt and Dave are chosen as Prom King and Queen. The selection of Kurt was of course meant as a cruel joke. Kurt first runs away, but he later decides to back into the gym to accept his crown. Dave and Kurt need to share a dance. As they walk to the dance floor, Kurt tells Dave to come out of the closet. Dave responds with "I can't," and he turns around and walks away in tears. It seems that no one goes after him. Iqbal Theba confirmed that Dave will not be written off the show. Source Personality Dave Karofsky is a stereotypical jock bully. He enjoys terrorizing the kids in New Directions, and seems to favor targeting Kurt Hummel and Finn Hudson in particular. While Azimio's bullying seems to be motivated by a larger sense of maintaining order and keeping the herd in line, Karofsky's seems to be more personal in nature. He's been harboring a grudge against Finn since fifth grade, and seems to target Kurt in a desperate attempt to cover up his own sexual feelings, or as a way to get closer to his possible crush. The majority of the homophobic and hypermasculine insults tend to come from the Azimio side of duo, though Karofsky seems to share his views on "weird" behavior. In fact most of Karofsky's bullying behavior seems to be because of the social order of the school and the opinons of his friends, rather than anything he was raised believing at home as his father in fact seems to behave completely different from Dave, showing an understanding and enlightened opinion of homosexuality. It was revealed by his father that Dave is actually quite intelligent academically, usually getting A's and B's in school, suggesting that his often dolt-like behavior is an act, again to make himself appear "normal" to his friends. In the weeks leading up to the kiss confrontation between Dave and Kurt, his grades began to decline, and he has started acting out and talking back both at home and school. It became severe enough that he threatened to kill Kurt, prompting his temporary expulsion. Since Kurt has transferred to Dalton Academy, his violence seems to have returned to its previous level. It is speculated that he feels less threatened now that the person who knows his secret is gone. However, his more violent tendencies seemed to flare up upon seeing Kurt and Blaine again, which was only stopped by the actions of Santana Max Adler, who portrays Karofsky, has called him the "insecure, afraid, and shy boy in the corner with this crazy secret, with a rough and tough exterior, a hard edged bully who doesn't take anything from anybody." Dave is "very scared of what he is, scared of telling people his big secrets. He's afraid that it will ruin his life and shatter his whole world. He has to keep up that manliness, be the guys guy, be the jock and fit in with them while he's hiding completely who he is and what he wants." According to Max Adler, Karofsky fears come from society instead of his father. "He's obviously a very loving father who is concerned for his son," Adler says. "He knows about his grades, the groups he's involved with, the teams he's playing on. I like the fact that Ryan Murphy chose to not make him what everyone thought — including me — as this beer-drinking, abusive, berating father. It was a more interesting choice to have him actually be the loving, supportive, caring father to show that Karofsky's fears aren't really coming from home. It's more society that's really scaring him into denying who he is." Source Relationships Kurt Hummel For the Main Article: Dave-Kurt Relationship ''Another Article: The Great Debate, pt.2 In Never Been Kissed, it is revealed that Karofsky's favorite target is Kurt, who he goes out of his way to bully at every opportunity. This results in Kurt falling further into a depressive state, until his new friendship with Blaine leads him to confront Karofsky. Following him into the locker room, Kurt demands an explanation and begins belittling him. This upsets Karofsky, who demands Kurt to back off. Kurt refuses, continuing his rant and daring him to punch him. The final straw seems to be calling Dave extraordinarily ordinary. Karofsky snaps and lunges forward, grabs Kurt, and forces a kiss on him. He makes an attempt at a second one, but a stunned and scared Kurt pushes him back. Visibly upset, Karofsky hits a locker and runs out of the locker room. Kurt and Blaine attempt to confront him in the stairwell the next day, but Karofsky refuses to talk about what happened. When Blaine keeps trying, Karofsky rams him against a wall, though he is easily freed when Kurt pushes Karofsky away and demands he stop. Karofsky runs off again, looking frightened. Afterwards, Kurt tells Blaine that until the day before, he had never had a kiss that "counted." Later, Karofsky shoulder checks him into his locker, showing Kurt that nothing has changed. In The Substitute, Kurt and Mercedes are in the cafeteria, where Kurt is trying to set her up on a date. He says that "love is just around the corner," when Dave walks past, asks "Sup, homo?", then winks at him. He later confronts Kurt in front of his locker, and asks if he told anyone that Kurt kissed him. Kurt is quick to correct him on the details (Dave shushes him and looks around frantically), but Kurt reassures him that he hasn't. Dave then tells him to keep it that way, or he will kill him. He walks away without touching him. In Furt, Kurt has just finished discussing wedding details with Finn, when he finds Dave standing behind him. Though Kurt tells Dave he doesn't want him anywhere near him, Dave smirks slyly at him and walks forward until Kurt has backed himself against his locker. Dave proceeds to poke Kurt in the chest and slide his finger down, grabbing the cake topper Kurt is holding. Dave then asks Kurt if he can have it and walks away, putting the figure in his letterman ja cket pocket. Later in the choir room, Kurt is trying to teach Finn and Burt to dance. Dave walks past the door, and upon seeing Kurt and Finn in a waltzing position, makes a limp wrist motion to mock them. This angers Burt, who quickly charges Dave in the hallway after Kurt tells him about the death threat. This ultimately leads to the principal's office, where Dave attempts to deny everything. When his father asks why Kurt would lie, he is only able to come up with "Maybe he likes me." He is unable to make eye contact with anyone for long, though he does look at Kurt in desperation when Kurt is asked why Dave threatened him. He is visibly relieved when Kurt lies, but does give him a disappointed head shake as he's leaving the office. At the end of the episode, we find out that Dave is not getting expelled because they have no proof of Dave bullying Kurt. Kurt decides to transfer to Dalton Academy. In Special Education, Dave's eyes get shifty when Puck scolds him for forcing Kurt out (perhaps because of his choice of words: "Don't push me, Karofsky," and "My boy, Kurt"), alternately switching between Azimio and Puck. Azimio gives him a suspicious look. In Born This Way, Santana, in order to bring Kurt back to the school and increase her chances of winning Prom Queen, blackmails Dave after finding out his true sexuality. She tells him that if he won't be her gay beard and prom date, she will reveal his secret to the school. Seeing no other choice, Dave accepts. With the blessings of Principal Figgins, he and Santana start an anti-bullying group called the Bully Whips and he makes an apology to the members of New Directions for his past actions against them and Kurt. With his father Paul Karofsky and Principal Figgins, he talks to Kurt and Burt. Burt still holds a grudge against him for threatening the life of his son, but Paul asks that Burt grant Dave the time it took him to learn his lesson, given that it took Burt and Paul years to realize homosexuality is no reason to discriminate against someone. Kurt, still skeptical, wishes to talk to Dave alone and sends the adults out of the room. Kurt asks Dave what's his real reason is for starting the anti-bullying group, and Dave says he just wants to make everything right. Kurt reminds him that while he hasn't forgotten the kiss, he wouldn't out Karofsky. When Dave asks him why he hasn't told anybody, Kurt replies he doesn't believe in outing people, but still accepts them for who they are. However, he says Dave owes him the truth. Dave confesses that it's part of Santana's plan to become prom queen. Kurt tells Dave he could either tell everyone that Dave kissed him, which Dave quickly objects to and sincerely apologises for, or he could come back and marvel in the anti-bullying group on the condition that he and Dave start a local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Kurt then stresses to Dave that even if he is unable to come out to the world, he needs to be educated so that progress can truly be made. In Prom Queen, even though Santana only does her Bully Whips duty in order to gain the votes for prom queen, Dave seems to take his job seriously in protecting Kurt and walks him to hi s classes and lunch. Kurt appears to not be afraid of being around Dave anymore. He tells him that he doesn't hate him and can understand his pain. Hearing this, after months of bearing guilt, Dave finally breaks down and apologizes. Kurt accepts the apology. Before they separate, Dave tells Kurt to wait for him. Later at the prom, they win the Prom Royalty together (with Kurt as the Prom Queen, as part of a prank). As they are about to dance, Kurt tells Dave that this is his moment to come out and make a difference. Dave says he can't, indicating that he has already come to terms with his sexuality but is still unable to come out. Santana Lopez In Born This Way, Santana asks Dave out on a date for coffee at the Lima Bean, which he tells her is no surprise to him and that it was only a matter of time before she asked him out. After he says this, Santana informs Dave that she knows about his closeted homosexuality. He is at first in denial, asking who would have told her that. Assuming she was told by Kurt and Blaine, he mentions that he is going to kick their asses for making up lies to mess with him. She tells him that she wasn't told by anyone and that his sexuality was just too obvious as she earlier caught him checking out Sam's butt. Dave also denies this, claiming that he was just looking at what jeans he was wearing. Santana calls Dave out, saying "Like that's any less gay." Santana describes Dave as being a "late-in-life" gay. After realizing defeat, he asks her why she is doing this. She informs him that she plays on the same team, which he seems shocked about. She also tells him that she wants them to be each others beards, so they both seem heterosexual, become Prom King and Queen, and later rule the school. Santana then tells him that if he doesn't do as she says, she will tell everybody about his secret, and it will ruin his life. Through blackmail, Dave follows through with her plan. Dave is later shown apologizing to the Glee club, and also informing them that he wants to apologize to Kurt, who he has treated the worst. Dave informs New Directions that it was Santana, to their surprise (especially Quinn's), who helped him see the light. Santana informs them about their "relationship," to which they all react in disgust. Dave and Santana both inform the New Directions of the new anti-bullying club known as the Bully Whips. At the end of the episode, they are seen together watching New Directions' performance of Born This Way (song) ''in the auditorium, Santana wearing the 'Lebanese' shirt Brittany made for her and Dave watching Kurt during the performance. In Prom Queen, they go to the prom together. Both Dave and Santana seem to having fun and dancing around during the prom performances. They slow dance at Rachel's ''Jar of Hearts, although both clearly look uncomfortable. Dave is then announced as Prom King, but Santana doesn't win the Prom Queen due to the prank against Kurt, who is voted Queen. In the end, it's unclear whether their beard relationship continues or not. Trivia *Usually referred to by his last name. *Introduced as a hockey player, but never mentioned as being one afterwards, even by the hockey team themselves. *Used to be picked on by Finn in fifth grade for having pubic hair. *Although it was said that he has slushied almost every member of the New Directions, he only slushied half of them on screen. He was never shown to have slushied Brittany, Quinn, Mercedes, Tina, or Lauren. *It's a common misconception that Dave tormented specifically Kurt for years. In season 1, until earlier in season 2, he was focusing the bullying on Finn and the Glee Club in general- he only started targeting Kurt specifically around the time of Never Been Kissed. In fact, he's never seen even touching Kurt until that episode. *Dave is the character that has been shoved the most by other characters. He's been shoved by Finn, Puck, Sam, Burt, Beiste, Kurt, Blaine, and other football players. *Goes to McDonald's after school. *Dave, with Azimio, used to slushie at 10 a.m. *His jersey number changed from 67 to 77 in The Sue Sylvester Shuffle. *Was a member of New Directions for a week when Coach Beiste forced the Titans to join the Glee Club. *Dave's quote "walk tall and carry a big stick" in "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is a modified version of Theodore Roosevelt's original quote "speak softly and carry a big stick". *One of the eight kids (Quinn, Finn, Kurt, Puck, Rachel, Becky, and Mike) whose parent(s) have been shown. *Never had a girlfriend before his pseudo-relationship (each other's beards) with Santana. *Pumps iron at school in the evening. *Seen mostly in his letterman jacket, even during his meeting with Santana at the Lima Bean. *Calls Azimio "Z". *Like Finn, he was a Cub Scout. *Dave didn't know about Eve Harrington and PFLAG, however, he seems to know about Liberace mannequins. *Takes Calculus in his junior year. *Named after Brad Falchuk's former classmate. *In Dave and Santana's prom campaign posters, the picture of Dave is actually a press photo of Max Adler from the Glee season 2 premiere party. *According to Max Adler, Dave and Santana actually kissed while filming the Prom episode, to prove that they were straight, however, the scene was deleted for their storyline's sake. *Dave and Santana's dance moves in Prom Queen were unscripted- Max and Naya did it for fun and were surprised when it actually made it to the final editing. *Dave's first kiss with a male was with the one seen in Never Been Kissed, when he kissed Kurt. *Names his fist "The Fury". *There are parallels in the dialogue with Dave and Azimio's confrontation with Kurt at the end of Theatricality and what happens in the locker room with Kurt and Dave in Never Been Kissed. Both times, Kurt says being beaten up will never change who he is and would allow himself to be hit because he is proud of his difference. *There are parallels in the dialogue with Kurt persuading Dave to come out at the end of Prom Queen and the conversation between Kurt and Mercedes in Acafellas. Both times Kurt/Dave said "I Can't" when asked to come out. (The same situation happens between Santana and Brittany in Rumors. Brittany had planned to ask Santana out to prom during her webshow Fondue For Two to make Santana's coming out easier, but Santana cancelled last minuted with a text saying, "I can't."). Photos ''See Images of Dave Karofsky '' Quotes ''See Dave Karofsky Quotes '' Category:Characters Category:LGBT Characters Category:William McKinley High School Students Category:William McKinley High School Football Team Members Category:Bullywhips Members Category:Former New Directions Member